Since then there hasn’t been much more news about the issue, and I thought that might be a good thing. I’m always wary when I see words like “guidelines” or “rules” or “regulations” for news coverage, terrorism-related or not. But the November announcement seemed to have broad industry support, and the guidelines were being called “voluntary”—always better than having them mandated by the government.

Given the propensity for the Pakistani government to meddle in news coverage, and new legislation being discussed (but still far from being enacted) that would allow the government to ban live news coverage it deemed terrorist-related and restrict material deemed defamatory to the government or military, industry guidelines might be the best way to head off heavy-handed government interference.

Earlier this week I got a message from Zaffar Abbas, the Islamabad editor
of Dawn newspaper. He’s also on the editorial board of Dawn TV. We discussed
the aftermath of the December 22 Peshawar
Press Club bombing—a real turning point in assessing the threat
to journalists—and protection for journalists in the field. We also talked about
the November guidelines. He had a significant hand in drawing them up, and I
asked him for an update.

Below is Abbas' response:

It’s true “guidelines” and “codes of conduct” are tricky
matters, especially in countries like Pakistan where we have a history of
government interference with the media.For this reason, journalists’ groups like the Pakistan Federal Union of
Journalists and the Council for Pakistan Newspaper Editors have remained
reluctant to accept the ideas of a “code of conduct” or a “press council” that
have been floated by successive governments.

But what we have written is something quite unique. The
government’s main interest, for a while now, had been to introduce what it
calls more “sobriety” in the political discussion on television talk shows with
the aim of discouraging the anti-government criticism most of them thrive on. The
government has shown little or no concern about controlling practices in the rest
of the coverage—including what it has called “sensational” ways of covering
incidents of violence. For us, the people managing news at private television stations,
we were more concerned about the way the extensive 24/7 TV coverage of
incidents of terrorism was further traumatizing Pakistani society. Most of us
had a growing feeling that the race for better ratings between our 16 news
channels was leading to serious ethical and professional problems, but we were
not sure how to tackle the issue.

After a multipronged terrorist attack on Army’s headquarters
in Rawalpinidi on October 10 last year, which also involved a hostage
situation, I took the plunge and wrote a
detailed article in my newspaper, Dawn.
The piece highlighted the perils of
covering terrorism-related incidents live, and based on my experience working
for the BBC for several years, I also offered a few dos and don’ts. Soon after the
article appeared, the heads of the news operations at a couple of TV channels
took the cue and called a meeting of editors and director news of eight leading
TV channels. You have to appreciate that it was quite an event, considering the
cutthroat competition that exists among these TV channels. At the next meeting,
the remaining eight TV channels joined in.

It took a while, but in the end we agreed on a guideline of
sorts. It was largely based on the internationally practiced norms of ethical
journalism. The guidelines were purely related to coverage of terrorism or
disaster-related maters, including incidents of bomb explosions, hostage, or
siege situations, and military operations against so-called Islamic militants
or insurgents. There was a conscious decision not to sanitize news coverage but
to avoid graphic images of the dead and injured, and to discourage the sort of speculative
stuff like unsubstantiated reports of explosions or bomb blasts based on a phone
call from a supposed eyewitness, or a bomb threat to a school or hospital. We
also considered installing some sort delay mechanism in covering hostage
situations. Since then we have not been confronted with a hostage situation, but
four of the leading TV channels say they now have a mechanism to generate a 15
to 20 second broadcast delay system. A few others say they are acquiring the systems
to do that.

It’s not been perfect, and mistakes are still being made, but
coverage of some of the recent incidents of terrorism has shown that there’s
been a remarkable improvement in the manner of presenting news. And the messages
of appreciation that stations have gotten from their viewers have encouraged
the broadcasters to properly implement these guidelines by holding regular
training sessions for reporters and camera crews and the staff news room staff managing
the coverage.

That problem seems to be on its way to being solved, and now
journalists in Pakistan,
particularly TV staff, are turning to address their concerns about the safety
of their colleagues. Pakistan
has already been dubbed one of the most dangerous countries for journalists. [Pakistan ranked
10th on CPJ’s list of journalists
killed in 2009.] The December 22 incident of a suicide
bombing outside the Peshawar Press Club has made the situation more
alarming. There is a feeling among many of us that perhaps Islamic insurgents,
or at least some of their factions, have come to regard journalists as an enemy
and may target us as a group—something that has made press clubs across
Pakistan, particularly those in the North West Frontier Province [near the
Afghan border], feel much more vulnerable. Similarly, the issue of personal
safety of journalists is also a major concern, especially for those assigned to
cover incidents of terrorism or military operations.

Right now the situation is that most television station owners,
though worried about the vulnerability of operating in such dangerous
environment, are not prepared to invest in providing what has come to be called
“hostile environment training” to their field staff. And many TV and newspaper
owners have not provided proper protection gear to journalists who they
regularly asked to work in dangerous areas.

So what the editors and news directors of television
companies have decided is make use of whatever expertise is locally available,
and start a series of training sessions to familiarize journalists with safety
techniques, first aid, and to persuade them to avoid going into conflict zones
without proper gear. The first of such sessions is likely to take place in
Peshawar in February—right now its being organized by the TV news directors in
collaboration with Peshawar Press Club [Peshawar is the capital of the North
West Frontier Province].

At a later stage, we are hoping to either raise some funds,
or seek help from international organizations to at least start a program of “training
the trainers” who can train reporters and camera persons in more organizations.

Bob Dietz, coordinator of CPJ’s Asia Program, has reported across the continent for news outlets such as CNN and Asiaweek. He has led numerous CPJ missions, including ones to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. Follow him on Twitter @cpjasia and Facebook @ CPJ Asia Desk.

Comments

Couldnt agree more, Zafar has pertinently highlighted areas of and for improvement but i would like to add the most basic of issues which in my opinion is at the core of all that happens i.e the perception of agendas (even blackmailing) by media and specifically owners of media in Pakistan. Professionalism can only previal when owners learn to take a back seat and let professionals manage news without personal agendas or bias.

Worst times have arrived therefore Mr. 10% (ten percent) have become leaders of our beloved country. I will not go into the details how corrupt our leaders are. Along with corruption they don't care if poor people live or die. Zardari and his government have sold our country for few dollars and now our national interests are also on sale by him. When I think about the situation in Pakistan my heart really goes, looking at the necessity which Pakistani nation does not have, such as Sugar, Wheat flour, Electricity, Gas, jobs, clean drinking water and there is huge list of other necessities which Pakistani nation does not enjoy. However leaders of Pakistan have turned a blind eye to the problems of poor people. I always wonder that why Pakistan does not utilizes 18 billion people and produce various items which can later be sold in international market such as Airplanes, Fast Trains, Weapon technology and various other items. Leaders of Pakistan have pledged to neglect this nation and they are extremely busy filling their own pockets with stolen poor people's money. I pray to God that the injustice vanishes soon and we see a real and authentic leader who can lead us through prosperity and happiness. I believe the leaders of Pakistan have failed to look after their country and they have failed to show care. We as a nation should unite together and raise against the ignorance we face today. Thank you